Magazine for nested articles



March 28, 1950 c. J. HOLING ER MAGAZINE FOR NESTED ARTICLES Filed May 20, 1948 INVENTOR. CARL J'. HOL/NGEQ 0?- Aw Arrow/5Y5 Patented Mar. 28, 1950 MAGAZINE FOR NESTED ARTICLES Carl J. Holinger, Plainfield, N. J., assignor of three-fourths to Joseph D Ambola and Nicholas DAmbola, both of Newark, and George W. Kupper, Nutley, N. J.

Application May 20, 1948, Serial No. 28,068

This invention relates to a magazine for use with a dispenser of nested articles such as drinking cups and adapted to serve individual cups as wanted. It is an object of the instant invention to increase the number of nested cups that may be served from one cup dispenser at every loading of the cup dispenser.

Another object is to decrease the labor requirements in the servicing of devices for dispensing ne ted articles.

Still another object is to bring the benefits of the individual drinking cup to 'a greater number at a lower cost.

Other objects of the instant invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of these objectives, the magazine comprises a housing the interior of which is divided into a delivery compartment and a storage compartment by a gate pivotally disposed in the top and base members of the housing at the front and biased in the direction of the delivery compartment. Coacting with the gate and in the storage compartment is a platform or stack plate horizontally supported along the inboard edge by the gate when rotated perpendicular to the opposed front member of the housing and along the outboa"d edge by a bracket attached to the inside surface portion of the end member of the housing forming one surface portion of the storage compartment. When a predetermined number of nested drinking cups are in the delivery compartment, the gate is maintained perpendicular to the opposed front member of the housing. However, when the nested drinking cups have been dispensed below a predetermined level, the gate is free to rotate clockwise into the delivery compartment which releases the inboard end of the platform or stack plate freeing the same to rotate downwardly on the bracket support which movement delivers the nested drinking cups stored thereon into the uppermost of the nested drinking cups still rema ning in the delivery compartment substantially reloading the delivery compartment with the nested drinking cups to be dispensed in the usual manner. Of course, similar storage compartments may be placed radially around the delivery compartment with a pivotally mounted gate separating each storage compartment from the delivery compartment and so constructed and arranged that the nested drink ng cups in each storage compartment will be moved into ,the delivery compartment at difierent predetermined levels of- 5 Claims. (Cl. 31243) the nested cups in the delivery compartment. Thus, the utility of the containers or magazines for nested articles such as drinking cups has been greatly increased with substantially less labor requ rements for servicing and the benefits of the highly sanitary individual drinking cup brought to a greater number.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the magazine for nested articles with part of the front surface portion removed.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of F'gure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like parts, reference numeral it! indicates the magazine, and I I the nested drinking cups.

The magazine Ill is formed from an suitable material with the opposed end members [2 and I3. and the front member It in opposed relationship to the back member i5. The top member ['6 and the base member I! complete the housing for the magazine H3. The top of the opposed front member I4 is hingedly supported along one edge by any suitable hinged means l9 and 20 to form the access door "3 which is releasably mainta ned in the closed position by the latch 2| coacting with the catch 22 to hold the nested cups H in place. Below the hinged door [8 is a rectangular opening 23 in the opposed front member l4 and alined therewith in the back surface portion I5 is a similar rectangular opening 24. In the top member l6 and the base member H at the center front and extending toward the left as viewed in Figure 1 are the aligned slots 25 and 26 adapted for the guidance of the later described pivotally mounted gate 21. Through the base member [1, at the right in Figure 1, is a circular opening 28 through which the nested cups l I pass toward the dispenser (not shown). Around the opening 28 is a downwardly extended collar 29 of such diameter as to fit into the top throat of the cup dispenser and made for the purpose of mounting this magazine on the cup disperser.

The interior of the magazine Ill is divided into a delivery compartment 33 and a storage compartment 34 by the gate 21 pivotally mounted by the vertical rod 35, the top and base of which are inserted in the aforementioned slots 25 and 26, respectively, for rotary and linear movement as later shown. To the vertical rod 35 are attached by any suitable means the horizontal members 36, 31, and 38 (Fig. 3). Attached at the other ends of the horizontal members 36, 31, and 38 is: the upright member39;' substantially shorter than the vertical rod 35, the lower end of which does not touch the base member i1, and

adapted to rotate through approximately 90 in- .the delivery compartment 33.

The gate 251 is biased in the direction of the deliver compartment 33 by the spring member" 48 attached at one end to the opposed end'member I 3 by" any suitable means and at the-other end" to the horizontal member 38 of the gate 21 and sufficiently near the vertical rod 35 so as topermit thenested" hold. the stack mate- 41 in. the compartment 34 and vpreventit from'interfering at any time with the nested cups in ccmpartment 33; The projection 45 and its symmetricalopp'osite projection 46are adaptedto. not. direct the base" of the bottom cup' on thestack' plate away from the center line between the cups in'th'e storage column 34 and" the delivery column 33; When the gate 27 is supporting the platform or stack plate 4! and there are sufficient nested cups in the storage compartment 33 so that the rim of the uppermost nested-cup ll isab-ove the bottom of the upright member-33 the nested cups H will prevent thegater'll from swinging into the delivery compartment'33' and withdrawing the suppcrtiiil for the platform:4l. However, when the uppermost cf the nested cups II in the delivery compartment 33 falls below the: bottom of the upright member 39, the gate-'21; actuated by the spring member 46, will swing through the delivery compartment 3.3:withdrawing the support 37- from. the platform 41' which" will then fall downwardly to the: dotted posit on shown in Figure l and deliver thebottom unit of the nested cups stored thereon into the uppermost cup of the nested cups still'remaining in the delivery the rim of the top cup will be higher than thebottom of the upright'member- 39. The pivotally mounted gate '2'! is slid to the left, as viewed in Figure 1, as far. as: it can .be' moved in: the slots 25 and 26 and theiupright member: 39' of the gate 21 rotated towardthe'center ofthe'magazine Hi.- As the upright member'33 of'theigate 2! approaches the center of themagazine. It; the pivotally; mounted vertical 101311135. of;.the'-gate 21' may be allowed to slide to the right, as viewed in Figure 1, in the slots 25 and 26 under tension of the spring member 40 as far as it will go. The stack plate 4| is then raised and positioned so that the outboard end rests on the horizontal bracket 42 and with the projection 45 on the inboard end thereof onthehorizontal member 31 of the gate 21. Both the delivery'compartment 33 and the storage compartment 34 may then be loaded with nested drinking cups II, the gate 21 preventing the rims of the nested cups H in the delivery compartment 33 from interlocking and interfering with therims of the nested cups il in-the storage compartment 34 as the nested cups in the delivery compartment move downwardly toward the dispensing device. The door I8 is then" closed and latched and the magazine In is ready for use. If the magazine I0 is to be reloaded before'the nested cups It] in the storage compartment 34 have been moved into the delivery compartment 33', then. it is' necessary to refill only the delivery compartment33.

It is apparentfthelspecificx illustrations shown above have been given by way of illustration" and not by way of limitation andithat'the structures above described are subject to wide variations and modifications without departing from the scope or intent of the invention, all of which variations and modifications'are'to be includedwithin the scope of the present'invention.

What is claimed is:

1'. A magazine for nested articles comprising a delivery compartment, at least one storage compartment, a platform pivotally disposed in the storage compartment; nested articles in the delivery compartment and on the platform, and means associated with said nested articles to withdraw from the platform a support on the side nearest the delivery compartment when the uppermost member of the nestedarticles in the delivery compartment reaches a predetermined level, one end ofthe platform being adapted to fall into a position that will direct the bottom member of the nested articles thereon into the uppermost member in the delivery compartment.

2. A magazine for nested articles in combination with a dispensing device comprising a delivery compartment for the nested articles, at least one storage compartment for the nested articles, nested articles in the delivery compartment and adapted to be dispensed by the dispensing device; the magazine further comprising at least one platform hingedly and slidably disposed in the storage compartment, means separating the delivery and storage compartments, said separating means being adapted to support the inboard edge of the platform when the up-- perm-ost of the nested articles is above a prede termined level in the delivery compartment and to release the platform when the uppermost of' the nested articles in the delivery compartment has fallen below the predetermined level.

3. A magazine for nested articles in combination with a dispensing device comprising a housing, the housing comprising opposed end memin the base member and'adapted for the nested articles to pass therethrough, a downwardly extended collar disposed around the openin and adapted for'the attachment of a' dispensing de-- vice;.alignedirectangular' openings in'the opposed front andubackl 'nriembers of the housing substamtially below the access door and on the side opposite the downwardly extended collar; the magazine further comprising a gate pivotally mounted in the top and base members of the housing substantially at the front center, the gate comprising at least one pivotally mounted vertical member, at least one upright member, at least one horizontal member disposed between the pivotally mounted vertical member and the upright member, a spring member disposed between the horizontal member and the housing and adapted to maintain the gate under tension against the opposed front member of the housing of the side of the downwardly extended collar, a slot in the top and bottom members of the housing coacting with the pivotal mounting means of the gate and adapted for sliding the gate toward and away from the side of the housing having the downwardly extended collar; the magazine further comprising a stack plate, means pivotally securing the outboard edge of the stack plate to the inside surface portion of the opposed end member of th housing most remote from the downwardly extended collar and substantially at the base comprising a bracket, means attaching the bracket to the said end member, an outwardly and downwardly extended rim on the bracket; the stack plate further comprising at least one ear disposed along the front and back edges-and adapted to coact with the aligned rectangular openings in th housing, at least one protuberance on the inboard edge of the stack plate and adapted to coact with the horizontal member of the gate when rotated perpendicular to the opposed front member of the housing but to release the same When rotated under tension of the spring member; the magazine further comprising means attaching the dispensing device to the base of the downwardly extended collar, and nested articles inserted in the downwardly extended collar and on the stack plate.

4. A magazine for nested articles in combination with a dispensin device comprising a housing, the housing comprising opposed end members, opposed front and back members, a top member, and a base member, an access door in the front member substantially at the top; the magazine further comprising at least one gate pivotally mounted in the top and base members and adapted to divide the interior of the housing vertically into a delivery compartment and a storage compartment for the nested articles, a circular opening in the base member of the housing substantially under the center of the delivery compartment, means attaching the dispensing device under the circular opening, a rectangular opening in the front member substantially below the access door on the side of thestorage compartment and an aligned rectangular opening in the opposed back member; the magazine further comprising a stack plate, an ear disposed along the front and back edges of the stack plate and adapted to coact with the aligned rectangular openings, means pivotally securing the outboard end of the stack plate substantially horizontal along the inside surface portion of the end member of the storage compartment, at least one projection disposed on the inboard edge of the stack plate and adapted to coact with the gate in maintaining the stack plate horizontal when the gate is parallel to the opposed end members, and means maintaining the gate under tension in the direction of the delivery compartment.

5. A magazine for nested articles in combination with a dispensing device comprising at least one delivery compartment for the nested articles, at least one storage compartment for the nested articles and adapted to coact with the delivery compartment, nested articles in the delivery compartment and adapted to be dispensed by the dispensing device; the magazine further comprising at least one platform horizontally disposed in the storage compartment and adapted for the support of surplus nested articles, means imparting motion of rotation and translation to the platform and adapted to deliver the surplus nested articles stored thereon into the delivery compartment; the magazin further comprising means separating the delivery and storage compartments, said separating means being adapted to support the inboard edge of the platform in a substantially horizontal position when the uppermost of the nested articles in the delivery compartment is above a predetermined level and to release the platform when the uppermost of the nested articles in the delivery compartment has fallen below the predetermined level.

CARL J. HOLINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,619,883 Pukt et a1 Mar. 8, 1927 1,704,318 Gregory Mar. 5, 1929 1,881,894 0lsen Oct. 11, 1932 

